By Mike Orloff Mike Orloff is a US and Australian PGA Member with over 35 years of experience in golf, club, leisure, and resort operations across the USA and Australia.

Nestled in the lush, dramatic mountain foothills just 30 minutes inland from Da Nang, Vietnam, Ba Na Hills Golf Club stands as one of Central Vietnam's flagship golf destinations. Designed by former World No. 1 Luke Donald in partnership with IMG - marking Donald’s maiden course design project- the 18-hole championship venue is famous for its rolling terrain, significant elevation shifts, complete night-golf floodlighting, and scenic views.

At the operational helm of this world-class facility managed by IMG is General Manager Andrew McGregor. In a live interview during my recent visit, McGregor shares his journey from an 18-year-old assistant in Scotland to leading premier international properties, his leadership philosophy, and his vision for golf in Da Nang.
 

Andrew McGregor
General Manager at Ba Na Hills Golf Club

Q: Andrew, take us back to the very beginning of your career. How did you first get into the golf industry, and was playing on tour ever the original dream?

Andrew McGregor: Like many young golf professionals, I think the early ambition is always to play. But I realized quickly that I wasn’t going to make a living as a touring pro. I started my PGA career back in Scotland when I was 18 years old at a small club called Whitecraigs in Glasgow. I spent three years doing my initial training there, which gave me a solid foundation in the basics of club operations and junior instruction.

From Whitecraigs, I was extremely fortunate to land a role as an assistant professional at Royal Troon. I spent six and a half years at Troon, which was a formative period for me. Working through the 2004 Open Championship when Todd Hamilton won was an incredible eye-opener. It was one of the first years the R&A brought the tournament retail operation inside, meaning the club pro shop didn't run the main merchandise tent. Navigating that transition while dealing with tour players and massive spectator crowds gave me a real insight into high-level event management.

I was still trying to play competitive golf on the side back then. I actually took lessons from Claude Harmon III when he was based out of Edinburgh. After spending a few weeks of working on the range with Claude, he looked at my pitching action and made it crystal clear that my technique simply wasn't at the level required for elite competition. You realize you aren't going to be in the top 150 in the world. That honest realization was a major turning point: I immediately shifted my energy toward coaching, and understanding the broader commercial side of golf clubs.

Q: How did your path unfold from Royal Troon into international club management?

AM: While Troon was carrying out a major clubhouse remodelling, I took the opportunity to move to Florida for six months to work at The Old Collier Golf Club. That exposure outside the West of Scotland broadened my horizon completely. After returning to Troon briefly, I made the jump to the Middle East, taking a position as a teaching professional at Doha Golf Club in Qatar. Doha was host to a major European Tour event, so it offered fantastic exposure to international tournament standards.

I spent over four years in Doha, but as much as I enjoyed coaching, I knew I didn't want remain as a coach for my whole career, I wanted to step into executive leadership and become a Director of Golf. That ambition took me to Hong Kong, where I was tasked with redeveloping the club’s junior academy while taking on broader responsibilities in tournament coordination and club operations.

It was in Hong Kong that I met Dean Nelson, (Currently Plover Cove) who was a fantastic mentor to me. Dean really helped guide my career trajectory, reinforcing that golf directorship and executive management were the right path for me. After a short stint in Australia working at Bann Lynch Golf for a year due to my wife’s job, we moved back to Europe. I took on the role of Director of Golf at a Faldo-designed Elea Estate in Cyprus for four years, before returning to the UK for my first General Manager position. It was a full-circle journey across continents, always driven by the desire to take on greater managerial leadership and develop my skills as a manager.

Q: Having managed teams across Europe, the Middle East, and Asia, how have you adapted your leadership style to different workplace cultures?

AM: The single most important rule is to listen and engage. When you arrive in a new country or culture, there is zero value in coming in and dictating how everything must be done just because "that’s how we did it back home." That approach doesn't work.

Instead, I ask insightful questions and listen carefully to the answers. That helps you understand why things are done a certain way locally. My management style is focused on guiding staff to problem-solve themselves. If you help the team discover the answers and formulate solutions, they take ownership of the outcome. That was true in Hong Kong and it is especially true here in Vietnam. The team here is incredibly sharp; they often see the problem and know how to fix it, but they benefit from mentoring and structure to carry it through. It’s about supportive leadership, not dictatorship.

I also place a huge emphasis on peer networking. When I moved back to the UK after nearly 15 years abroad, I joined an active network of club managers through CMAE Scotland. We had a group chat where managers constantly shared practical operational advice - everything from handling complex staffing challenges down to finding the best local fire extinguisher vendor. The golf industry used to be quite protectionist, but today’s best leaders realize that sharing knowledge elevates the entire market.

Q: What attracted you to Vietnam, and how do you evaluate the current golf market in Da Nang?

AM: I was very fortunate to be approached by IMG for the General Manager role at Ba Na Hills. Vietnam is one of the most dynamic, fast-growing golf markets in the world. There are dozens of new projects in development across the country. To be in the middle of that growth curve and contribute to building the industry’s foundation here was an opportunity I couldn't pass up.

Da Nang, in particular, is the crown jewel for golf tourism in Vietnam. Within a 40-minute radius, you have eight outstanding golf courses offering completely different playing experiences - from true coastal links-style courses to our dramatic mountain setting at Ba Na Hills. A golfer can stay in Da Nang for a week, play a different style of world-class course every day, and enjoy incredible off-course experiences like UNESCO sites in Hoi An and Hue, brilliant beaches, and a sensational food scene.

The general managers across the Da Nang region maintain great communication. We all recognize that marketing Da Nang as a “Must Play” destination as collective is only positive for golf in Vietnam.

Q: What makes the course layout at Ba Na Hills unique, and how do you ensure visitors have a memorable experience?

AM: Ba Na Hills is a spectacular Luke Donald layout that weaves through mountains and lush valleys. The back nine in particular features stunning elevation shifts, culminating in our signature 16th hole, a dramatic downhill par 3. It is a long, challenging golf course, but our core operational goal is to make sure it remains fun and rewarding. We don't set up the course to be unfair or punishing; we want players to leave the 18th green feeling challenged, but thoroughly delighted by the round.

Operationally, I break our guest journey down into three essential touchpoints: the greeting at the front door, the course experience, and the food ("grub," as my time in Australia taught me to call it!). If you execute those three touchpoints at an elite level, you guarantee a happy guest. And if one detail falls short, exceptional local hospitality gives you the chance to recover instantly.

Q: How crucial are the caddies to that service delivery?

AM: The caddies are the single most important service element because they spend four and a half hours directly engaging with the golfer. Because golf is still relatively new in Vietnam, comprehensive training is essential. Our HR and golf operations teams conduct a minimum two-month training program for new caddies. They learn English, conversational Korean, rules, course positioning, and green reading.

I always chuckle because, even as a former golf professional, I’ve learned to fully trust my caddy’s reads out here. I’ll look at a putt and feel certain it breaks right, and she’ll calmly point left - and sure enough, it breaks left every time. They have an incredible natural warmth, charm, and enthusiasm that perfectly showcases Vietnamese hospitality.

Q: Today the venue is hosting the IMG Trophy. Can you explain the background of this event and its significance to the club?

AM: The IMG Trophy is an annual event staged across IMG’s global portfolio of managed properties. It serves a dual purpose: it highlights our long-standing partnership with IMG and main event sponsors like Toro, while providing the local golfing community with an exceptional, high-caliber tournament experience.

Ba Na Hills is a destination golf club rather than a private membership club. We offer flexible access cards for regular local players, but our player base is a global mix of international travellers from Australia, Korea, the US, and Europe, alongside local Vietnamese golfers. The IMG Trophy brings all those groups together - local players, industry peers, and visiting guests -for a festive day of golf.  This year we witnessed an incredible Hole in One by one of our players Mario. The excitement this created during the day and at the prize giving was fantastic, its moments like that which make the efforts to organise the event from the whole staff all  worthwhile.

Coincidentally, my very first day on the job at Ba Na Hills coincided with the club’s 10-year anniversary celebration. Events like the IMG Trophy allow us to celebrate how far the property has come while continually raising the bar for golf operational excellence in Central Vietnam.